Marsch proud of Canada despite exit
Marsch proud of Canada despite exit
Marsch proud of Canada despite exit
Canada's World Cup campaign may have come to an end, but head coach Jesse Marsch couldn't be prouder of his team's performance. Despite a 3-0 loss to Morocco in the Round of 16, Marsch believes his side was the better team and is already looking to the future.
Marsch's post-match comments were filled with praise for his players, who he felt dominated the first half and were unlucky to concede three goals in the second. "We were the better team," he said. "We were the better team, right? They made a couple more plays than us, but cranking up the intensity was not the issue. It was just that they had a little bit of quality in the final third, and we lacked a little ability to make a play when we needed to."
The Canada coach was particularly impressed with his team's aggressive and forward-thinking approach, which he believes is the key to their success. "What a privilege our fans have had to root a team on like this — that goes after the game, that doesn’t play defensive, that shows that they can be better, right?" he said. "Of course, we have to be in these situations more and more, and then we have to find ways to succeed, and then we have to build from that."
Marsch's pride in his team is evident, and he's already looking to the future. "But what a great team," he said. "I'd rather be us than them. As good as Morocco is, I'd rather be us, right? I'm really proud of our guys. We went after the game. They're hurting right now, but my goodness, I couldn't be prouder."
One of the biggest talking points of the night was the absence of Alphonso Davies, who did not feature due to a hamstring injury. Davies had been struggling with the issue throughout the tournament and was eventually ruled out of the match against Morocco. Marsch confirmed that the decision was made to protect the player's long-term health, saying "For Alphonso, he’s learning to trust his body. As much as he wanted to play and we wanted him to play, it just wasn’t worth risking it."
Despite the disappointment of losing Davies, Canada's performance against Morocco was impressive, particularly in the first half. Morocco's head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, praised Canada's intensity, saying "It takes some nerve to say that when you lose 3-0," but acknowledged that his team's approach had to change to evade Canada's press.
Marsch is confident that his team will bounce back. "What a great team," he said. "I'd rather be us than them. As good as Morocco is, I'd rather be us, right? Like, I'm really proud of our guys. We went after the game. They're hurting right now, but my goodness, I couldn't be prouder."
